News

Collaboration on the Internet and the strengthened commitment in the region have been the central themes of the first meeting of 2023 of the Organizations of the Technical Community of Latin America and the Caribbean. Representatives of seven organizations met from January 26 to 27 in Montevideo to engage in a dialogue on relevant issues for all organizations, as well as the major priorities of each organization for this year and conceptualize common actions.

The future of LACIGF

(Source: LAC-IX) The group discussed the future of the Latin American and Caribbean Internet Governance Forum (LACIGF), acknowledging current efforts to further empower the community in organizing and executing the process, and advancing in the implementation of new LACIGF statutes and even a new structure. At the beginning of this year, the LACIGF Program Committee began the process of expression of interest and the consultation period for organizations interested in performing the function of Secretariat of the regional forum and/or asking questions about the process or its founding documents, stage finished on January 13. Technical Community representatives on the LACIGF Program Committee were tasked with detailing these efforts as well as commenting on future steps.

A macro project for Latin America and the Caribbean

On the other hand, they discussed the creation of a coalition to advance Internet security and resilience in Latin America and the Caribbean, the generation of relevant indicators on the improvement of Internet security for decision makers, strengthened participation in spaces that address cybersecurity and the realization of common awareness and training instances for the community. Given the multiple accelerated processes of digital transformation during the pandemic, concerns about cybersecurity intensified and became one of the greatest risks for the development of the Internet in the region.

Representation in spaces and tracking

This year, a sharing of spaces was established that each organization will be following at the regional level, to explore synergies and opportunities for coordination of participation and follow-up.

Bilateral Meetings

During the meeting, bilateral sessions were held between the different organizations in order to identify synergies and promote joint actions effectively.

Illegal Content Workshop

As these organizations do on a regular basis, they will continue to promote and generate instances of capacity building. For this year, the illegal content workshop stands out – an initiative traditionally led by LACTLD that from now on will be coordinated by the entire Technical Community. It will undergo a reformulation in which its agenda will include topics such as the latest challenges for Internet governance and the solutions proposed by experts in their respective fields. This workshop typically brings together prosecutors, law enforcement officers, judges, information security professionals, and Internet actors to share their insights and best practices on potential security and trust strains on the network.

School of Digital Transformation and Innovation of Latin America and the Caribbean

In this context, and after the success of the 2022 edition of the School for Digital Transformation and Innovation in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Technical Community consolidates its alliance with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Regional Center of Studies for the Development of the Information Society (CETIC.br) to organize the 2023 edition of the School in São Paulo, Brazil in September of this year. The School will generate unique moments to share news from the technology sector to officials who have the responsibility to act on problems that require immediate solutions and it is a multi-stakeholder demonstration in the face of the common challenge that guarantees the development of the Internet for all.

Regular events

Likewise, the regular activities that allow the interaction and commitment between the organizations of the technical community to be part of their day to day will be maintained. This continuous and permanent collaborative work is clearly reflected in different initiatives and meeting spaces such as events. In March, ICANN76 is held in Cancun, Mexico, where the LAC Space will be organized, a first-rate space for strategic conversations between various actors in the region. In May, Mérida will host LACNIC 39, which brings together different activities such as presentations by LACNOG, and the LAC Peering Forum of LAC-IX, among others; while in October the LACNIC 40-LACNOG 2023 meeting will continue to provide high-value activities for the construction of our community. In addition, throughout the year various training programs will be carried out to address technical issues such as universal acceptance, routing security and the necessary actions to avoid Internet fragmentation, among others.

The collaboration between the different actors is a strategic advantage to advance the development of the Internet in Latin America and the Caribbean. The year 2023 is destined to be a year of renewed commitment and real progress towards the common goals of the region.

ABOUT THE TECHNICAL COMMUNITY OF LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

The Technical Community of Latin America and the Caribbean is made up of the Latin American and Caribbean Internet Address Registry (LACNIC), the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the Internet Society (ISOC), the Latin American and Caribbean Association of ccTLDs (LACTLD), the Latin American and Caribbean Association of Internet Exchange Point Operators (LAC-IX), the Latin American and Caribbean Network Operators Group (LACNOG) and the Latin American Cooperation Network of Advanced Networks (RedCLARA) – organizations that have their regional offices in the Latin American and Caribbean Internet House (CILAC) in Montevideo, Uruguay. Every year, representatives of these organizations meet to address strategic issues for the development of the Internet in the region, including the identification of opportunities to jointly carry out value-added actions for the entire community.